First graders learn the difference between living things that grow, eat, and need water and nonliving things that do not, then sort everyday objects and creatures into the two groups.
Students will be able to…
A dog and a toy dog can look alike, but only one eats, grows, and needs water. What makes something living, and how can you tell it apart from a nonliving thing?
Project this and sort each thing into living or nonliving — tap a thing, then tap the group it belongs to.
Tap any phase to open the teacher moves and student actions.
A dog and a toy dog both have four legs. One is living and one is not. How can you tell which is which?
Students sort things into living and nonliving.
Students name what living things need.
Students make a sorting poster.
Students reflect on living things.
Aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards (Grade 1 / Elementary Science).
Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.
Use materials to design a solution to a human problem by mimicking how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs.
Make observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of life in different habitats.
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
Preview the three formative checks. Tap “Sample answer” to see what mastery looks like — hide them before you print for students.
Have students draw three living things and three nonliving things and label each group, so the difference becomes something they can see and explain. A printable living-and-nonliving worksheet is in the Science library.
Tap a card to flip it, then rate whether you knew it. Built from this lesson’s vocabulary.
A quick self-check with instant feedback, drawn from this lesson’s key terms.
A print-and-go review sheet with a built-in answer key. Tap “Show answer key” to reveal answers, or print the clean version for students.